Myth of Iron is the first book-length scholarly study of the famous Zulu leader Shaka to be published.

Over the decades a great deal has been written about Shaka, the most famous--or infamous--of Zulu leaders. "Myth of Iron: Shaka in History" is the first book-length scholarly study of Shaka to be published. It lays out, as far as possible, all the available evidence--mainly hitherto underutilized Zulu oral testimonies, supported by other documentary sources--and decides, item by item, legend by legend, what exactly is known about Shaka's reign. The picture that emerges in this meticulously researched and absorbing antibiography is very different from the popular narrative.